The U.S. has historically led the world in science that applies high magnetic fields, but a lack of domestic investment and technical advancement has allowed competitors in China, Japan, and Europe to close that gap and risks the potential for future innovation, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A high magnetic field is defined as the application of magnetic field science that requires a specialized facility to operate. Drug discovery and medical diagnostics such as MRI machines, semiconductors, and very high energy accelerators utilize high magnetic fields.

Building on National Academies reports from 1979, 2005, and 2013, the report examines the current domestic and international landscape of high-magnetic-field science and highlights the critical role it plays in medicine, energy, and scientific innovation. Since the 2013 report, Europe, Japan, and China have steadily increased their scientific capacity in high magnetic fields, but similar growth has not occurred in the U.S. The report urges the U.S. to act and forecasts the future role of high-magnetic-field science in innovation, underscoring what opportunities could be missed if further investments are not made.

The report recommends that the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy double their support for the development of wire technologies, including the domestic industries and facilities to support them, within three years. Along with those agencies, the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense should participate in developing the technical, structural, and human capacity of the U.S. high-magnetic-field science ecosystem.

The report also calls for:

• Upgrades to existing infrastructure and construction of new facilities

• New programs to ease collaboration and increase access to funding and information

• Investments in training the next generation of researchers

• Policies and legislation to secure access to helium supplies needed for basic research and medical practices that use high-magnetic-field instrumentation

The Current Status and Future Direction of High-Magnetic-Field Science and Technology in the United States is now available for immediate release.

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